


Red Mage: Rebellion (Sequence Charts and Drafts)

by Syran



Series: Red Mage: Rebellion [2]
Category: DBSK | Tohoshinki | TVfXQ | TVXQ, EXO (Band), GOT7, SHINee, Super Junior, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Drafts, M/M, So much spoilers for the story, Spoilers, poor writing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-21
Updated: 2017-06-21
Packaged: 2018-11-16 20:12:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11260113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Syran/pseuds/Syran
Summary: For all of those that are curious of how Red Mage will go, you can look here. Though I have to warn you *Spoilers* seriously. However if that does not concern you, take a peak. As things are added to my drafts, things will be added here. So come here for your sneak peak into Red Mage: Rebellion.





	1. The Characters & Backstory

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone. So let's get straight to business. THIS IS NOT AN OFFICAL FIC (the official fic can be found on my page). This is both a sequence chart and a very, very rough draft of the future of the story. I'm putting this up to ensure that even if I don't finish the official fic the story can still be read. However I must warn you that the SPOILERS ARE NO JOKE!!! There are many twist and turns and reveals that will happen along the course of this story, if you don't want to ruin that for yourself then please don't read. Also take everything with a grain of salt. NOTHING IS SET IN STONE!!! Things may change, so please remember that when you're reading this. Other than that, please enjoy. Leave comments as well if you have suggestion (as I said, nothing is set in stone).

JB- Dragoon (Prideful of his title and wants revenge more than ending genocide)

Jinyoung- Black Mage (Kind of selfish and kind of prissy) (Plus also ashamed to say that he’s the disciple of the head mage)

Jackson- Knight (Berserker) (A true soldier w/o a nation to fight for. Hero complex and over-confident)

Mark- Red Mage (Practice both black and white magic) Archer (Afraid to step up to the thrown and is still hurt by his father’s betrayal)

Bam Bam- Thief (Selfish and runs from responsibility)

Youngjae- White Mage (Summoner later on though) (Sheltered, overly nice, afraid of his power and shies away from his true potential)

Yugyeom- Monk (or just hand to hand) (Feels that his only priority is to protect Youngjae and is unsure of who he is outside of protecting Youngjae)

* * *

 

JB was sent with his dragon summon to capture the Powerful Black Mage, Jinyoung, b/c of some made up transgressions against the Imperial government. JB, being a good soldier went and capture the Mage and gave him to authorities although Jr constantly told him that he’s done nothing wrong. Soon after they asked for his fire dragon and he agreed. Feeling the distress from his dragon, he sneaks to save him to only find the experiments below. He’s outraged and freed Jinyoung, the others too close to death to save. Together they escape the City, both becoming wanted criminals. Both deciding to stick together and help JB find his missing dragon, Ifrit. (I know he's not a dragon but imagine him as one)

Mark is one of the worlds few naturally born red mages and the hidden son of the Imperial Monarch. As Mark grew up his father became obsessed with his son’s ability and rarity. When Mark’s magic ability began to really show he started to push the boy to train to become the best. Mark viewed his father’s obsession as affection and grew up thinking that his old man only wanted the best for him and not planning on using him for conquest. It wasn’t until Mark was a teen that he finally found out about his father’s experiments. He then slipped from the castle and into the night. Since no one knew of the King’s son, he was made into a wanted felon. Mark was running when he met Jackson. The two quickly became friends, b/c neither asked anything about the other’s past. “Strings are for Bows” are their saying. The two travels the countryside together staying as far away from the Imperials as they possibly can.

Jackson is a former soldier from the Imperial City that was stationed to lead the troops in Zyraion. He was viewed as an up and coming prodigy among both the soldiers and even the higher ranking dragoons (nicknaming him the dragoon without a dragon). While stationed there, the Head Mage (who was working alongside the Imperial King) decided that Jackson was ready to be told what was really going on as he needed someone to take care of the failed experiments. When told him, Jackson didn’t really believe it, but still saw it as his task to keep it secret. It wasn’t until the Head Mage ordered Jackson to kill the children that their experiments failed on that he saw just how fucked up this really was. He faked the Head out by saying that he needed time to complete the job, but led the kids to safety instead. They were caught on the way out though and the Head killed them himself saying how disappointed he was in Jackson. He sent guards to apprehend Jacks but he isn’t known as the best for nothing and manages to flee. He was then made a felon and was falsely accused of killing the children and forced to run, while also believing that he was at fault. He meets Mark while on the run and is surprised that the sheltered boy hasn’t heard of him, even though he has some connection to the Imperial City. They form a bond as they travel the countryside running from the imperials.

Youngjae is a white mage sent on a mission to the imperial city to help heal falling soldiers. Yugyeom, a monk, was sent with him as protection. They both come from the same monastery where white mages are trained to become on call war doctors of sorts and monks their guardians. This is both of theirs first journey. Little did they know, there is no true war and the call was to lead Youngjae to the Imperial scientists. His masters were forced their hand with threats of destruction if they didn’t hand him over. Youngjae is a special type of white mage and word around town was that he was the first in years to be able to summon, the technique becoming lost to the white mages over the years.  However, he may have the ability but he doesn’t know how to manifest it. The power just shows up at random when he’s distressed.

Bam Bam is a thief and the younger brother of the rebel force’s leader Nichkhun. He was sent on a lifting job and was told that it was nothing but was tricked into stealing vital information about the mage experiments. After seeing the info, he figures that his brother is in way over his head and pleads with him to stop. However Nick just thinks that Bam is just being irresponsible but that’s not the case this time. Fed up, he just lets his brother do his thing until Jackson and the gang shows up and they plan more efficiently behind Nichkhun’s back. 

 


	2. The general sequence chart (Subject to Change)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chart is very general and is missing a few points here of there but that is what the drafts are for, to fill in the holes. Then I write it again, and publish it for you. This is charted until the ending of the middle act of the story. *Disc two for you Final Fantasy Fans* Afterwards a few things are going to happen before the boys head to Empire City. Then I'll chart that.

 Red mage general sequence chart

 

  1. The  stuff in Ferin
  2. JB getting his dragon back/ meeting Yugyeom and Youngjae/ boss fight in labs w/ abomination (Aka Kookie and V)
  3. Markson lake scene/ boys making the final decision to join jjp/ Mark tells Jackson that he doesn’t want him to die
  4. Hyung-line agrees to take Yug Youngjae back to their monastery/ boys find out that the war isn’t real/Markjin training session #1 while on the way
  5. Everybody head back to the monastery/ 3nd boss fight w/ rapmon (reoccurring boss fight)/ Yug and Youngjae finds out that they were lied to and decides to join the crew
  6. Boys make it to Riel/ Markjin training session #2... on the way???/ Jackbam meet back up / Meet Bam Bam’s thief pack (that has Suga and Taemin in it)
  7. They have some fun in Riel with the thief pack/ Maknae line hang out together (Bam Bam gets Yug to lighten up.... you know steal a little) (Yug character arc starts)/ Suga and Youngjae connects (Suga’s laidback personality attracting Youngjae who wishes to be as confident and Suga attracted to Youngjae innocent outlook on the world since his was stolen a long time ago)/ Taemin tells everyone about his twin (Jongin) that got kidnapped back in Empire City and Jaebum and Jackson vow to get him back/  Throw a markson scene in there (Sweet while overlooking the city. They’re blurring lines between friendship and relationship a little)
  8. Boys meet with Nichkhun and start planning attack/ finds out Bam Bam is the prince of Riel / Bam Bam disagreeing with his brother and suggests sneaking into Zyraion and stealing 2nd half of plans instead of a direct approach, but brother not listening and goes with the direct approach anyway
  9. Jacks pulls Bam Bam to the side and tells him that he and his crew will go with him and what Nichkhun doesn’t know doesn’t kill him
  10. Bam tells boys that the plans are hidden in the palace/ Boys + Bam make plans to sneak into Zyraion but for some reason Jinyoung is not for it/ JB offers to let Jinyoung stay but jinnie’s like ‘no, I’m the only black mage here, so I’m the only person to know this place’
  11. Boys + Bam sneaks into Zyraion and gets caught by Heechulie himself/ Heechul tells everyone that Jinnie was his apprentice/ locks everyone away and takes Jinnie back to start ‘training’ again
  12. Brings the boys out to the royal hall and tries to force Jinyoung to kill them like he forced Jinnie to kill Key (also introduction to ‘blue magic’ as an extension to ‘black magic’) / Jin almost does it but JB tells him that he’s better than this, that he does have good in him, that he’s seen it./ Heechul’s like ‘no, I’ve been raising him since he was a child in my image blah blah blah’ and ‘that not even his parents could love him, that’s why they gave him up b/c they were afraid of him blah, blah, blah’/ they go back and forth but Jinnie doesn’t do it, but he doesn’t return to them either
  13. The boys are taken back to their cells and sulk about Jinnie’s betrayal but then jinnie comes in to save them/ he lets them free and gives them the 2nd half of plans but doesn’t go with them/ he tells them that this is where he should be and that he was just deluding himself thinking otherwise/ JB’s like ‘no you belong with us’/ Jinnie just turns away and tell them to leave through the sewers and that there would be a few guards but nothing they couldn’t handle.
  14. So they couldn’t handle it and they’re now running from a group of guards/ Bambam tells them  that they suck ass at stealth, Jacks returns that Bam is shit at fighting/ They take out the guards as they try to run away but Youngjae is caught/ They corner the guard but he gets desperate and tosses Youngjae overboard/ Yug goes to save YJ but Mark pulls him back, however he’s too far to grab Jackson
  15. The man leaps from the edge and grabs YJ on the way down/ right before they hit the water Leviathan breaks from the water and wraps both boys within his body before diving back into the water the swimming them to safety (Jackson just met his dragon)
  16. The other boys climb down and find the two and the dragon/ They go to fight it but Ifrit stops them/ The dragon recognizes the other as the ‘lost water dragon’ whose dragoon died in Zyraion ten years ago and wasn’t able to return his dragon back to his crystal before he died
  17. Leviathan was like ‘yeah that’s me’ and then said that he can now return to his jewel now that he found it/ Everybody’s like ‘where’ and Leviathan motions to Jackson’s sword/ a crystal in the hilt lights up along with a matching one that sat in the middle of the dragon’s head
  18. Jacks is like no and is freaking out/ Levi sniffles Jackson and says that he smells like his dragoon but not really/ Then he says that he’s not Donghae, but Donghae’s son
  19. Jackson stills at the mentioning of his father’s name and questions how does the dragon knows his father/ the dragon says that his father was his dragoon/ Jacks is like ‘no my dad was a fisherman and that they lived a humble life by the docks/ Levi then says ‘he never got around to telling you, did he?’ and that ‘he was going to tell you when he got back from Zyraion’
  20. Jacks is still in denial but Mark says that it makes sense/ He points out Jackson’s water themed sword, his weakness towards electricity and how he couldn’t damage the Behemoth b/c they both had the same elemental strength he concludes that Jackson was a water dragoon
  21. Levi adds in and asks why would Donghae even had the sword and why would he teach him how to use it if he was only a simple fisherman/ Jackson said that Donghae said that it was a family heirloom and that he was only teaching him what his father taught him/ Levi told him that Donghae was secretly readying him to become the next in line in a long lineage of water dragoons.
  22. Jackson comments that his father’s been lying to him/ Levi tells him that he only did it to protect him and that things between Zyraion and Empire City were at their breaking point and he didn’t want him to be used as leverage in their feud/ he goes on to say that Donghae thought his final mission would be the one to bring peace to the nations and that was why he was waiting until afterwards to share everything with his son but he was wrong
  23. Jackson believes the other/ they decided to stay and make camp/ later that night Jackson calls on the dragon and asks him to tell him about his father, the stuff he didn’t know/Levi tells Donghae’s past
  24. \-----------------Tells about Donghae’s dragoon assessment (Donghae meets Hyukjae shows friendship with yunho)/Introduce Heechulie and Jaejoong as friends and Yunnie’s crush
  25. Skips to Donghae older and spar with Hyukjae and asks him out/ Yunnie talks about date with Jaejoong/ Eunhae date (ride on Levi)/ Jae’s father’s disapproval of Yunjae
  26. Skips to adulthood/ Yunnie is excited b/c Jae’s father agreed to meet baby Mark (thinks he’s getting accepted) and asks Donghae to go with Jae since he wasn’t accepted just yet and Donghae tells Yunnie that he’s having a baby of his own soon/Donghae goes with Jaejoong but was forced to wait outside (has a disturbing conversation w/ Heechul)/ Father tries to kill Mark but killed Jaejoong instead/ Donghae carried the dead Jaejoong and baby Mark back to Yunnie and Yunnie breaks down
  27. Skips to Mark being ten and Donghae is telling him a story about Jackson (w/o names)/Yunnie laughs but still tells Mark to go study/Donghae tries to convince Yunnie to let Markie out more but Yunnie tells him of how he can’t let Mark die (Shows Yunnie getting darker and more protective of Mark)
  28. Skips to Mark being 14 and Donghae telling him about his last mission and how he would be able to meet his son soon/Donghae gives Mark the jewel encrusted dagger/ Donghae leaves to Zyraion.
  29. Tells about final battle with Heechul/tells how Donghae simply wanted to talk but Heechul was still messed up about what happened to Jae and Yunnie and (w/ his father’s brainwashing) considers himself their enemy/ Heechul fights Donghae but half-heartedly until he fucks up and calls down a thundaja spell and since Donghae was wet from his own water spells, it kills him.
  30. Jackson takes all of it in (Mark wasn’t mentioned by name just ‘their child’ or something) and realized that Heechul didn’t mean to kill his father and that the king was actually his kinda uncle or something/ He resolves that he’s going to fix this
  31. Levi is astonished at how much Jacks is like his dad (Donghae just wanted to fix this too.)----------------
  32. The next day the boys return to Riel/ they find Bam’s brother scrambling to gather troops/ Bam asks what the hell is going on and Nick tells them that the Zyarions were sending a fleet of airships to Riel. They were going to bomb the city/ Nick explains that they are Imperial airships  lined with black mages (We’re talking about some Avatar TLAB type shit)
  33. Bam Bam flips out and asked the man what the hell did he do/ Nick says that he officially declared war on Empire City but he didn’t know that they and Zyarion were allies/ he knew that he could handle them separately but not together/ Bam calls him a fool before storming out.
  34. Everyone follows him out/ JB stops Bam and tells him foolish or not that it was bound to happen and that thousands of people are going to die if they don’t do something/ Then he suggested that he could take to the skies with Infrit and take down some of the fleet/ Jacks and Leviathan agreed to also help (Mark asks to ride with them since he’s been training he could help)/ Youngjae was told to help the wounded/ Yug and Bam are going to gather up the thief crew and evacuate the city/ they agree to the hastily made plan/ Jaebum wonders how Jinny’s doing/ Mark frown and says he hope he isn’t one of the mages on the deck b/c if so they’re in deep shit
  35. Switches to Jinny/ he’s watching Heechul direct his men onto the airship/ Heechul then turns to him and asks him if he remembered the last time he leveled an entire city to the ground
  36. Jinny showed an evil grin and says that he remembers (it was a day that Chullie was really proud of him so he remembers) / Chullie tells him that they’re about to do it again but on a much larger scale/ Jinny raises an eyebrow and Chullie explains/ He’s going to destroy Riel
  37. Jinny is shocked and tells Chullie that he didn’t think he would go this far so soon and asks where’s the fun in that/ Chullie pat Jinny on the head as if he was silly and told him that he would have to learn to look beyond fun and find responsibility someday/ ‘yeah I supposed I do’, Jinny responds
  38. The ships come towards Reil/ the boys prepare for the fight/ Nick comes to Bam and tells him that he was sorry for never believing in him and for using him and that he should have listened/ Bam doesn’t answer but he’s listening/ Nick takes the silence as his brother not forgiving him and turns to leave/ but before he could a guy runs in and tells him that Imperial troops have snuck into the palace/ Nick runs to fight them with Bam hot on his tail
  39. Suga catches Bam running but Bam tells him to focus on empting out the city and that Imperials are already in the building, the man nods and then gets to business/ The guys also catches Bam and stop him and asks him what’s wrong/ Bam explains that the Imperials also deployed troops/ JB is confused because why would they deploy troops if they’re planning to scorch the city/ Jackson answers that the troops didn’t know/ Now they’re racing for another reason
  40. They reach the troops led by Rap Mon/ Jacks begs the man to pull out and warns of the Black Mages/ RM ignores him and tells him that he’s just a showoff like always etc./ Jack pleads with him but RM’s not having it
  41. Mark tires of the bullshit and says that if they can’t get him to agree then they’ll force them out/ He begins to tell the rest to leave but cuts himself off with a cough/ He asked if they could feel that/ the ‘magicy’ ppl are like yeah and that it’s like a foul taste in their mouths but they’ve never felt that before/ Mark thinks before he realizes what it was/ it was a Meteor Spell/ he explains that they didn’t have time for any of this and that they need to stop whoever is casting that spell because it’s no escaping it and if it hit land not only the city would be gone but the entire southern seaboard
  42. Jb thinks before pausing/ he could feel Jinyoung’s rezz behind all the foul black magic of the spell/ he tells them that it was Jinyoung that was casting the spell
  43. Rapmon asks if it was really meteor and the boys answer yes/ RM and Jacks share a look before he turns and tells them to retreat/ Then RM fondly tells Jackson ‘Next Time’/ Jacks answer with a ‘Next Time’ (Don’t forget to add a flashback of the two training with Kris and Jacks always one upping RM. Also show that RM was the most devastated when Jack ‘turned’ and couldn’t really forgive him for abandoning him)
  44. MarkJackBum race to the highest cliff (Markson had their moment there when they first entered Riel) to get a good vantage point for the fleets/ The sky is hell of dark and it confuses Mark/ Mark says that the spell looks like it’ll rain down any moment and the fleet isn’t anywhere close enough to the cost line for it to hit properly/ Jacks questions maybe since the spell is so powerful that it was hard to aim/ Mark don’t buy it. He knows that Jinyoung didn’t miss aim/ He tells them that jinny was not aiming for the city but for the fleet/ he was going to take it out in one full swoop.
  45. Jaebum fucking chokes/ he calls out for Ifrit but it’s too late/Meteors covered in fire rain down from the dark sky/JB doesn’t even care, he calls for the dragon anyway/ Jackson goes to stop him but JB is already leaping off the mountainside, landing perfectly on his dragon’s back.



 


	3. Drafts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Please keep in mind that these are very, very rough drafts. They have slang in it, minor cursing and incorrect grammar (well more incorrect than usual). So please go easy on me. This is not the finish product, just a way to iron out details. This is drafted from the end of this chapter 8 until just before their fight with V and Jungkook in Windale. *Update* Now it's up until after the fight. *Update* Now up to the morning after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I write 'Jin' I'm referring to 'Jinyoung', not BTS's 'Jin'.

 JB’s just plucked his lance from a wolf that came to his shoulder and wiped the splatter from his face. He breaks from the trees, rubbing his chest all the while, and he comes to a clearing with a lone out of place brick structure sitting in the middle of it. As he walks closer to the building, deformed incomplete mages slip from the trees. JB’s kinda freaked out because they have no faces and he’s also surrounded and he’s still having chest pains. They’re cornering him and one of them cases a first tier fire spell. JB kinda eats it (cuz he’s a fire dragoon but since he doesn’t have his dragon he’s still vulnerable). They cast another and JB blocks it. He notices that the ‘red mages’ were rather young and he tries to talk to them and tell them off but they’re not listening. Seeing that he has no other choice, he deflects another fire attack before turning full circle and stabbing the caster. The young mage drops dead but is instantly raised but is still bleeding. JB’s really starting to freak out now but still dodges the next fire attack, second tier this time, but notices that his chest pains are getting worst. He drops to his knees from the strength of it. Then another mage also casts another second tier spell and now JB is screaming but not because of the fire but because of the pain in his chest. The spell doesn’t do too much damage actually. Noticing this, all the mages gather to do a collective fire attack and JB is still screaming from his chest pain as they whisper their spell. However all of it stops and JB is laying there confused until he notices that all the mages were frozen in huge blocks of ice and that half of the clearing was covered in frost, JB questions if it was a blizzaga spell but Jr comes to help him up and told him “no that was a Blizzaja spell and was much more powerful”.  JB questions why Jr was there and Jinnie cuts him off, berating him for not tell him the full extent of his troubles and that if he knew how vital his dragon was to his being he wouldn’t have questioned about getting it back. JB’s taken aback by Jinnie’s words but still tells him that he should have stayed at the inn and that he left him there not because he didn’t think that Jr wasn’t trustworthy but because he trusted him to protect the two that really needed it. Jr smiles at that but tells JB that it looks like he was the one that needed the saving. JB laughs and tells Jr that he’s getting good at the whole rescuing thing and that he’ll make hero out of Jinyoung yet. Jin just scuffs but still helps JB up. He asks if JB thinks that the dragon is inside the brick building and JB says that he knows that it’s in there.

 After giving JB a potion, the two sneak inside the building. Inside were old, abandoned tube chambers – some broken open with liquid spilling out. JB looks around the place confused before he was pulled aside as more of the ‘mages’ roam aimlessly (sporadically) around them. Jr shutters as he watches them wobble about, their limbs twisting and contorting as they move inhumanly. Jin asks what they were to which JB said abominations and that he was sure that they weren’t always that way. The ‘mages’ finally shuffled past (jinnie silently thinking that that could have been him) and the two left the shadows to creep further into the building. They found an elevator and the two take it to the lower floor. Once the two were on the elevator JB drops on his knees as the pain flared and growled in frustration. Jinnie looks over concerned and tried to help him up, but JB ignores the help in a daze, his eyes ablaze with anger. When the door opened another group of fire ‘mages’ showed up and JB didn’t hold back this time. They used only tier one fire magic and JB simply walked through it. He grabbed the casting mage by the throat and ruthlessly stabbed it with his lance before carelessly tossing it aside. The other cast another spell but JB was too quick. He swung his lance in an arc and sliced the other’s throat before it could finish the spell. The other tried to shuffle away on its fucked up limbs but JB grabbed it by the hair and pulled it to him yelling, where is my dragon. The other doesn’t answer (has no facial features) and JB gets frustrated and throws it to the ground before stabbing it with his lance and carelessly throwing it aside.

Jinnie is stunned on the elevator because he’s never seen JB act like that before. JB was always the hero and although he might have a temper, he doesn’t just kill so violently. Once all the carnage is over, he steps out of the elevator and puts a hand on JB’s shoulder. The action startles the dragoon and he looks around him shocked. He looks to the blood trail on the dirty concrete floor and the mangled childlike bodies and tears unknowingly drops down his face. He asked Jinnie if he really did that and Jinyoung nods. JB then says that he just wants his dragon back and that he could feel its pain. Jinyoung tells him that he knows and places his hands on JB’s wet cheeks and wipes his silent tears. He hugs the unresponsive JB and tells him again that he knows.

\----------------------

Jackson is back at the inn, his chest throbbing in pain but he couldn’t bring himself to wake Mark to help him. After living with the red for so long he knew that the other really didn’t like being woken up but he also knew that he would do it for him. Jackson then wonders when they became each other’s exceptions. He thinks back to when he first met Mark and how Markie was highly train but obviously never saw a day of battle in his life. He remembered feeling like he wanted to protect the rookie and keep the scared kid alive unlike the kids he wasn’t able to save back on Zyraion. He then smiles as he watches Mark sleep and comments on how the tables have turned and that now it was Mark that was saving him. He watched Mark as he shuffled in his bed, thinking that he looks like a child still and he begins wondering what Mark actually look like as a child. Where did he grow up? How did he grow up? Who taught him how to string his first bow? Who taught him his first spell? Most importantly, how did he end up on the run? The two never really spoke about their past to each other. It was one of their unspoken rules and honestly never before had Jackson cared. He was too busy running from his own past to care about someone else’s, but now he cares... and it scares him.

He quickly turns away from Mark at the realization.  The red opens his eyes and starts to get out of bed, going over to check on Jackson. He comments on Jackson being up and berates him for not waking him since he knew that Jackson must have been in a lot of pain. Jackson smiles it off, but he’s still a bit unsettled by his earlier thoughts. Markie picks up on it but doesn’t say anything like usual and like usual Jackson is appreciative since he had so much on his mind. Mark rolls his eyes instead, turning to banter, and heals Jackson’s wounds with magic in hopes of soothing his pain. He then tells that man that he wish that he could do more, but Jacks kinda cryptically says that he’s done more than enough.

\----------------

  JJP goes deeper into the facility, Jinnie watering bitches as they go (since JB is still kinda shaken up) when they come across a holding cell. They could see a head of dirty sandy blonde hair in the shadows with a chain hanging high on the ceiling. Jin makes to walk pass the cage but JB stops in front of it. He rakes his fingers across the bars and the head jerked up and pulled on his chains with such veracity that JJP was sure that he dislocated a shoulder. Jin raised his hand to fire a spell, but JB gently grabbed his wrist and told the boy within to calm down or else. He settled down as he was told and JB continued to say that they meant no harm and he was looking for his dragon. The boy said that if they let him go and help him find his friend that he would lead them to the dragon. JB goes off and tells the boy that he should stop playing games and just tell them what they wanted to know or him might just let his mage run free (to which Jinyoung smirked, he liked being used as a threat). The boy didn’t back down though and said that they only way that he’s helping is if they found his friend. Jinyoung pulls JB back from the cage and tells him that they don’t have the time to waste on this boy and that they needed to get back to Markson before Jacks bleed out or something. The boy over hears them and told them that his friend is a white mage, a strong one, and if they free both of them that they would be more than happy to heal their injured friend. JB begins to agree, but Jin questions his honesty. The boy says that on his sacred oath as a monk that he’s telling the truth and that he only wishes to protect his friend. JB could feel the sincerity in his words (and relate to them since he feels that way about Jinyoung) and agrees and introduces himself and Jin. The monk gave a courteous smile and introduced himself as well as Yugyeom. Jinnie freezes the lock off the door and JB smashes it with his lance. Jinnie freezes the chains on the boy and JB goes to break those too, but Yug busts out of them himself, yanking himself free. He rubs on his wrist while JJP share a look of awe then tells them to follow him. He’d lead them to the dragon.

_________

The guys go further into the facility and the lower they go the higher the ceilings become and the less ‘red mages’ they come across. The once dank dark cells become more mechanical and humming with computers and light. The monk tells them to follow him and that they’re close. The come up to a gigantic metal door and Yugyeom tells him that this was where they took his friend and that the dragon should be nearby. Jinnie looks at the monk skeptically but JB believes him because he can feel the bond with his dragon responding to his closeness. He presses his hand against the door longingly and tells it that he’s almost there. Jinyoung goes to put a hand of JB’s shoulder but stops himself because he heard something. He tells them to listen and they can all hear murmuring from behind the door. Yug tells them that the voice was his friend’s. Jinyoung then tells them to stand back as he casts a firaga spell. The temperature rose, creating heat waves in the air and making the metal floors turn red from the heat. Then a swirl of fire burst from Jinnie’s hands, creating a fire vortex that covered everything, floor to ceiling in fire. The fire then cleared to a gaping hole, the door and its frame melting off the hinges. Inside they see a mighty scarlet serpent with wings and four legs wrapped around a boy with bright blonde hair and dirty, ripped white robes. Yug calls out to his friend, youngjae, and tries to approach him but the dragon steps between, blowing a lick of fire in Yug’s direction. Jaebum instantly jumps in front of the dragon, eating the small flame before calmly putting his hand on the center of the dragon’s head. He softly tells him that everything is ok and that he’s safe now. The dragon pushes back into JB’s hand before he knocks it away and goes in to nuzzle his face against JB’s face and chest. JB laughs in return and hugs what he could reach, nuzzling it back. A booming voice then echoes in the room, saying “I missed you hatchling.” JB smiles before saying back that he missed him too. Yug then shockingly questions the dragon’s ability to speak. Youngjae is the one that answers his friend and tell him that he and the dragon actually spoke quite often and that he was very kind to him. The dragon then says that he could sense something pure about Youngjae that needed to be protected. Jinyoung rolls his eyes in the background and teased JB about his dragon being as much of a hero as he was. The dragon turns his attention to Jinnie then and asked if he was the mage to melt down the door. Jinyoung unafraid, said yes. The dragon told him that it was good to see him again and this was much more than he did the last time they met. He called jinnie on holding back. Jinyoung actually bows low to the dragon before saying that it was an honor to be remembered. He then said that to be fair he and JB held back too. The dragon says that if Jinyoung thinks so then he should show him and his dragoon actually at work. Jinyoung said that that was what he was waiting for. The dragon tells his dragoon that he liked Jinyoung.

Yugyeom interrupts the reunion when he mentions that more of those red mages were coming. The dragon goes in front to defend everyone but JB pats him and tells him to rest. Infrit tells JB that even though he and Youngjae were free, it didn’t mean that the monsters were free of magic. He goes on to say that they have been sanctioning magic from the both of them harvesting it in a generator which supplied the ‘red mages’. JB stands in front of his dragon and pats his head. He praised him before placing his ruby onto the ruby that sat in the middle of the dragon’s head. He reassures the dragon that they’ll destroy the generator if he just led them there. The dragon finally conceded and entered his jewel to rest while trusting his dragoon to finish the job. JB turns back to his little crew and told him that it was a few floors below them and that they had to get back to the elevator. Youngjae tells him that that was good and everything but they now have a bigger problem. He pointed to the crowd of red mages that were hurrying to their direction. JB breathed in deep, the exhale coming out as smoke. He tells them to rush to the elevator. He then turns to the monk and tells him to destroy whatever he may miss. Jinnie goes to stop him, but JB simply says it’s because he trusts him to protect what he couldn’t. Jinyoung nods and shoves the kids off to the side as he uses the last of his MP to douse all the Mage’s in water. They flinched but not in a way that JB would have. It showed that may have had Infrit’s magic they didn’t have his protection against fire. JB breathed deep again but this time when he exhaled a stream of flames burst from his mouth. He wiped his mouth after he was done and looked to see his damage. The mages melted into blue goo... “They’re not real,” JB questioned, “But the others earlier. Did they just make copies of the ones I killed? My god, he’s not just trying to manufacture a few but an entire damn army. What’s going on?”

\--------

The elevator slide opened, Yug grabbing the one mage that was inside and slammed his head into the metal wall next to the opened doors (where the call buttons are) He leave a dent in the metal, he slammed the others head so hard. He tells everyone to quickly run in but Youngjae stops short and asks about JB and Infrit. Jinnie tells him to not worry and that now the two were reunited, they were nearly unstoppable. Youngjae looks at the other in question and saw that the black mage meant every word he said. The elevator stopped on the final floor. Another Mage rushes them but Yug punches the thing. It goes flying from the force before it smacks into a metal wall and turns to blue mush. Youngjae looks horrified and asked the monk what did he do? Yug just shrugs just as confused and freaking out. Jinyoung rolls his eyes and walks pass the two to investigate the goop. He moves it though his fingers, noticing that there was no blood. JB walks up them and once seeing the goop on the wall, told Jinyoung that the same thing happened to him upstairs. Jin turns with a frown and told him that the others upstairs clearly bled. JB agreed but told the other that there was far too many ‘mages’ then there were tubes at the entrance. JB then goes on to say that when he rescued Jin that each mage had their own tube. Jin quickly put the pieces together. He figured that the ones they fought further up were once human and the ones below where copies of those humans. JB shrugs obviously confused on how they made clones but he figured that was what happened. Youngjae questioned if there were copies of him as well. JB pauses for the moment and his ruby lit up before he spoke again. He tells Jae that Infrit said that they were mostly batteries, not the final product. So the dragon believes that there are no copies of them. Youngjae nods at the news before asking what they should do. JB instantly turns back to the commander he once was and started to give out orders. He tells them that they are first going to destroy the generator them comeback with Markson and wipe the place clean. Youngjae is like ‘Who’s markson??” Yug takes a guess that they were the friends that needed healing. Youngjae frowned and asked why were they still here if there are ppl that needed healing. JB tells him that Jacks is stable and he can wait for a second. He also said that it would be easier to cleanse the place if the copies no longer had their magic supply. Jinyoung snarkily points out that JB was talking about hitting them while they’re down. He then jokingly tells the man that he would make a villain out of him yet. JB rolled his eyes but still spared the mage a smile before ordering them forward.

They reach another massive door like the one that housed the dragon and white mage upstairs. The door was opened this time. Inside sat two tubes one filled with green light the other with red. Jin asked if that was their magic and they both tell him that it was. Jinyoung steps around everyone and walked up the machine that the tubes were connected to. JB goes to question how he’s able to work the machine but Jinnie quickly reminds him that he was once held in a place like this before. Then he said that his capturer wasn’t kind enough to place him a separated room while they sucked the life out of him. JB frowns and says that he didn’t remember anything like this in the room he broke Jin out of. Jin cryptically questions how JB knows that was the only time he was ever experimented on. JB paused for a moment as a look of anger and sympathy washed over his face but Jin waved it off and tells him that was years ago. Jinyoung ignores the look he still received as he typed away. The light drained from the tubes and filtered into the air before returning to their original owners. Youngjae glowed as his power returned while the ruby on JB’s chest did the same thing. He breathed out a small lick of flame before smirking and replying that it was good to be back. Jinyoung tapped the other on his chest as he walked passed and told him that he was happy too and he couldn’t wait for a rematch.

\----------------------

Mark sighed as he watched the door to their room. JJP has been gone for a while and he’s starting to worry. Then he berated himself for worrying. He didn’t even know them enough to be worried. He leaned back in his chair and watched a sleeping Jackson, wondering when the duo would be back. The blonde was sleeping a lot and that worried him too. Jinyoung’s words echoed in his head. Jackson really would die for him and no matter how willing Mark might be to do the same, Jackson would never let him return the favor. He thinks that if they continued with the other two there would be a buffer, someone to help him help Jackson. However at the same time, these people are talking about taking down the Imperial Crown. He of all people knows how impossible that is. Yet he could feel Jinyoung’s fire when he spoke (even under all the sass) and it made him think that it was possible. Mark had to level with himself. He was tired of running and he was tired of seeing Jackson waste his life away to save his. He started to think of what his life was like before they met and wondered if he was to return to it would he want Mark to go with him. Mark already knew he couldn’t return to his former life. It wouldn’t matter either way if Jackson doesn’t get well.

Suddenly the door slammed open, JJP and YY coming in. The noise woke Jackson and confused Mark. Mark asked JJP who those two were but Youngjae was already across the room, next to Jackson. He asked if Jackson was the injured one to which JB nodded. Jacks is like ‘what the hell man?? why you telling this guy I’m messed up??’ JB is like, ‘It’s good, he’ll heal you.’ Youngjae nodded and gave Jacks his adorable Youngjae smile and Jacks was convinced. Youngjae asked where the injury was and Jacks showed him. Jae just nods and started to whisper lowly. Green flecks fell from the sky, bathing Jackson’s chest in their glow. Jackson breathed deep the ache soothing in his chest finally. He thanked the man softly.

JB calls attention to the room, ruining the moment. He touched the stone in his necklace and it lit up. Jackson eyes did the same before he smiled and told him good job on getting his dragon back. JB thanks him but let him know that there’s more than that he found. He tells them of what he encountered and how they had Yug and Youngjae locked away. Mark interrupts the story to ask them what the hell they were doing here?? He pointed out that Youngjae was a white mage (obviously) so why was he away from the monastery. Youngjae tells him that they were told that Empire City and Zyraion finally broke into war and that his masters sent him and Yug (as his bodyguard) on a pilgrimage to the cities in order to help any fallen soldiers. He said that he was captured on his way north by a group of unmarked soldiers.

The four older ones look at each other before looking at Youngjae like he’s crazy. Jackson’s like what war and so is everyone else. JB is growling under his breath before he looked to Jacks and told him that this was what he was talking about when he said that the strife between Zyraion and Empire City was bullshit. He then turned to Youngjae and tells the boy that he’s sorry but his masters lied to him and that there’s no war going on... not yet anyway. Youngjae just sits confused but it was Yug that spoke. He’s like what do you mean and that their masters would never lie to them.

Jinyoung breaks the other off and say that they would worry about that later. He then pulled out a tube of blue goo that they collected in labs. He then turns to Mark to tell him that they were not only trying replicate red mages but mass produce them. Mark takes the tube and stares at it with terrified eyes. He tells them that he’s seen this before a long time ago. He then asks if there were more. Jinyoung nods and tells him that there’s a factory full of them.

Jackson sit up and plucks his sword from off the wall beside them. “Let’s take them out then.” Mark smiles, happy to see his friend back in action. The six of them nod and leave out the door in order to return to the building.

\--------------

Mark enters the labs and freezes at the door. Tubes and mangled bodies lied everywhere. Flashes of a teen entering a similar place crossed his mind’s eye before he shook the thoughts off and continued on. Jacks squeezes his shoulder and asks him if he was ok. The others might not have notice the pause but Jackson did. Mark quickly nods and tells him that he was and that he was just a little shaken up by everything. Jackson frowned at the lie but accepted it just as Mark always did. Mark then broke away from Jackson to kneel next to a disfigured body and asked to the room what happened to them. Jinyoung answered, saying that they most likely couldn’t handle the excess of foreign magic that was pumped into their systems. Not only were most people not built to handle both white and black magic but they were also infusing them with the ancient magic of one of the oldest dragons in existence. He says that they just couldn’t take it and it deformed them. Plus the procedures that had to undergo in order for them to be replicated, it destroyed them.

Mark frown only deepened as the mage explained. He caressed the dead child-like body before standing and turning to those behind him. “We’re shutting this down,” he declared, “We’re shutting this down right now.” JB agreed with him, but Jackson was shaken. He’s never seen Mark take such a firm stance in anything like that before. Mark then asked where they were being made. JB tells him that they think on the bottom floor since they faced the duplicates further down in the building. Mark nods before leading them to the elevator. Mark glared at his reflection in the elevator door as if he was angry with himself. Jackson patted him on shoulder but the red ignored the gesture. He didn’t need Jackson’s words, he needed to stop this.

The elevator opens to a skinny science dude. He startles almost comically when they appeared before Jaebum breaks from the group. He calls the scientist by his name, Taehyung, he knows him because he was the one that he gave his dragon to. Taehyung corrects him, saying he goes by V now. JB tells him he doesn’t give two shits what he goes by and that he should tell him how he’s replicating the mages. V looks at the dragoon confused. He doesn’t know what JB is talking about. Mark then steps up and grabs a carcass before shoving it into the other’s face. “This,” he screams, “How are you making them? What did you do to the originals?” Recognition flashed across V’s face until he said ‘originals’ then he was confused again. “Original _s,_ ” the scientist asked, “Don’t you mean origi _nal_?” JB then questioned there being only one and points out the multiple pods. V then says that he doesn’t know what they were doing up there and that his work was all below. Jackson then steps in front and asked the man to show them his work. V peps up when he asked and led them deeper into the facility. He swiped a key card that led them even lower before he opened his lab with the card and showed them inside.

Strapped onto a metal ‘medical’ bed was a boy with scarlet scales running up the side of his face and his matching leather wings protruding from his back. Startled Yugyueom asked what that was while Youngjae asks who. Jinyoung however knows. He asks him how he was there and that he should be dead. He then explains that the boy was Jungkook and that he was killed by the Black Mages because he studied magic without their permission. He then says that that usually isn’t such a big deal since so many ppl didn’t have the dark magic to cast spells. However, the head master felt that something was different about Jungkook and ordered him dead. Youngjae is amazed by a non-mage that can do magic. 

V adds cheerfully that ‘Kookie’ is special. He says that unlike other normal people that cannot absorb outside magic that Kookie could. He said that Kookie wanted to be a fighter but he wasn’t well enough to carry a sword so he dreamed of being a powerful mage. He’d study constantly, learning the ancient dialect to no results. Then V says that he had a wonderful idea. He thought that since Kookie didn’t have any magic, then he should simple give him some. He had the bottle but it was just empty. So they tried. They ciphered magic from a low level monster and it worked. Suddenly Kookie could cast spells that matched that monster’s affiliation. Mark says that it’s impossible and V agrees but Kookie was special.

V then says that the king caught wind of their experiments and wanted to help him but then Kookie goes off and gets killed. The king let him keep Kookie as long as he could find a way to add magic to ppl like he did for Kookie.  But V didn’t care about that, he just wanted his Kookie back. He still took that offer but used it to find ways to bring Kookie back to life. V’s theory was that just like adding magic to an empty bottle that he could add life to Kookie’s empty body. So he went searching for something that had life to give, that was when he found dragons. They lived for eons so they must be able to give some of that life to Kookie.

As V talked they could see the madness in his eyes. They knew what he was saying didn’t make any sense, that life didn’t work like magic but they didn’t want to tell him he was wrong because it wasn’t just madness but also desperation.

V then tells them that he tried many dragons, as he types on a computer, but none of them kept him alive long. Then he turns and give Jaebum a creepy smile and said that Jaebum’s dragon was the oldest there was, that there was an abundance of life that the dragon had to give so he just ‘borrowed’ some. He fused some of Ifrit’s being into Kookie along with the magic of a phenomenal white mage and it had worked. He stops typing and turned to them with a joyous smile. He tells then that he had his Kookie back. However they took the dragon and mage from him now his Kookie wasn’t going to last long enough.

Jackson steps up to him with his arm outstretched a sad look on his face and tell the man that he has to shut this down, that his work was hurting people. He says that’s he understands more than anyone what it’s like to lose someone and wanting to do anything to get them back, but he can’t continue to hurt people.  V simply shrugs and says that as long as Kookie was back it didn’t matter what happened. He get desperate as he says that they didn’t understand that it was his fault that Kookie was broken and that he had to fix what was broken but he couldn’t do that without the dragon and white mage, so Kookie was going to have to take them back.

As V said that Jungkook slowly raises from the bed, badass and creepy as fuck. He head is crook to the side his skin that wasn’t covered in scales was deathly pale and visibly rotting. His eyes were whiten-out as if he was blind. The skin around his wings where ripped and covered in dried blood. He was obviously just a reanimated corpse and not Jungkook anymore. V still pats the Zombie on his matted head and tells him to take back the dragon and white mage.

Mark steps up and says strongly that they aren’t taking back anything. He began to murmur under his breath a water spell. Jungkook however used his wings to dash across the room, covering Mark’s mouth and grabbing him by the throat. Mark struggles, trying to get himself free but unable to so despite his strength. Jackson comes and shoulder tackles the zombie, freeing Mark and injuring his shoulder. He stops and questions what the hell he is made out off. He then goes in for a sword slice but Kookie was too fast and back-dashed away from the slice. Jackson continues to try to the cut him but the zombie was too fast. He dodges Jackson’s swipes, floating slightly off the ground and back-dashing from every swipe. Jackson then charges the guy but he flies up above his reach.

While Jacks was going in, Jinyoung was whispering a tier three water spell. Kook catches wind of the mumbling and rushes to Jinyoung. Kook slams into Jinyoung, tossing him so hard he busts through the metal door. Jinyoung rolls down the hall, unconscious as soon as he hit the floor. Youngjae chases after him with the thought to heal him. Kook rushes after the white mage, however a water arrow clips his wing. The zombie whips around and sees Mark posted with his arrows. He tells the boys that they need to keep Kook’s attention on them so that Youngjae can heal Jinyoung. Jackson responds with a “But I can’t touch him. He’s too fast.”

Jaebum speaks up and everybody looks to him because his voice is so venomous it practically reduced to a growl. He becomes a commander again and starts giving orders (He wasn’t the second in command of the Imperial army for nothing). He orders Jackson and Yug to cover 2Young since Kook would have to get close if he wants either of them. Then he says that he and Markie will try to draw his attention since they had long and med-range weapons. They nod and then get in position.

Mark shoots another arrow but the dragon-zombie dodges it, sidestepping out of the way. However, Mark doesn’t let up. He fires in rapid session, his arrows just inches away from Jungkook. He whispers to JB that he’s running out of arrows and MP. JB tells him to lead him back and that he has an idea. The red mage looks suspicious but still does as he’s told. Markie corner’s Kookie back in the lab as Jaebum slips away from him. As he returns to the lab JB calls out to him gain his (and everybody else’s attention). He has V by the throat, the tip of his lance pointing just under his chin.

Jungkook pauses, his eyes flashing brown and a panic expression showing on his face. JB was the only one to notice the change – notice that there’s still some Jungkook left in him. He motions for the other to come closer. He calls for Mark to keep an eye on him and Mark stands back.

Jaebum whispers lowly so only V, Kookie, Mark and himself can hear. He tells him that he know that he’s still in there. Mark eyes widen but he holds his ground. He tells him that if Kookie hurts his friends, he will kill V – mercilessly and slowly. He tells him that Kook knows what type of power JB has. That the little he carries is only a taste of what JB holds. JB tells him that if he doesn’t want that unleashed upon his little defenseless scientist that he should back down.

Jungkook, though barely sentient and unable to speak, seems to understand JB’s offer. Mark however was very confused. He thought that they were there to end this. He started to speak but stopped when he saw JB connect eyes with a newly healed Jinyoung. He noticed that Jinyoung’s lips were moving. Suddenly water burst from the ground underneath their feet like a geyser, engulfing the zombie in harsh streams of water. JB shoved V away and dived out of the room, the poor scientist crying helplessly as he watched what was left of his friend be ripped apart by unrelenting streams of rushing water.

Mark also rolled out of the room, watching in awe at what just happened. More water spells erupted into the lab, Jinyoung’s low murmurs turning into an angry chat until Jungkook body was floating on top of a flood of water in pieces. The water eased out of the open door, Kookie’s body parts washing up to Jinyoung’s feet. V was left after the water emptied out soaking wet, coughing and crying pathetically on his knees.

Jinyoung began another spell but Jackson grabbed his arm. The touch forced Jin out of his spell. Jackson softly told him that it was over. It was done. Jinyoung breathed out and calm down. JB however was another story.

The dragoon snatched the scientist from off his knees, dangling him from his collar. V whimpered and whispered that he thought that JB was going to let them go if they stopped. He said that Kookie backed down. Why did you kill him? JB simply said that his friend was already dead. He was dead the day he took his dragon from him. JB can hear his dragon whispering in his ear, telling him to do the right thing. JB drops the scientist, V dropping to his knees again. JB joins him, telling him in a low menacing voice that now he can understand what it’s like to live without the thing closest to him like JB had to live the last year without the thing closest to him. He stands and walks out, bumping shoulders with a stunned Mark as he made his way to the elevator. Jinyoung and JB connect eyes as they walked out, the black mage telling him that maybe he could turn JB into a proper villain. JB eyes turned sad and he said “Maybe...” With that he walked into the elevator, leaving his team and his sins underground.

\---------

Everybody returns to the hotel room. Yug and Youngjae, since it was their real first fight was stressing as Jacks tries to comfort them. JB is a fucking mess. He’s finally calm down and everything that he did in the lab is weighing in on him. He’s sitting on the bed with his head in his hands, stressing. Mark is in a freaking daze. He then announces that he’s going on a walk. Jacks noticed that Markie is fucked up and decides to join him. The two walks around Windale, the weeping willows and cobblestone streets eerily calm in dark of night. Mark is freaking out. He can’t believe what he saw and he’s really second-guessing his decision to join them. Jacks catch up to Markie and place a hand on his shoulder. The red jokes and say that this town is creepy as all hell. Jack agrees and says that maybe they should check out the woods nearby instead. Mark laughs because shouldn’t the woods be creepier than the town and didn’t they find that lab in the woods. Jacks just shrugs and say that they’ll just go the other way.  

The two of them walk off the cobbled road, dipping into the willows. The moonlight peaked between the hanging branches. Their unnatural laughs slowed into companionable silence. Though they joked, they knew that something wasn’t sitting well. Jackson raised a branch, keeping it in the air so Mark could also pass through (you know, like holding the door open) but Mark didn’t follow. The blonde paused confused before looking behind him. Mark stood still, staring at Jackson in deep thought. He then looked up at Jackson and the swordsman was taken aback by Mark’s expression. He looked concerned and desperate. He was staring at where Jackson’s wound was. Mark then looked him dead in the eye and told him that they should leave. Jackson drops the branches, concern coloring his face now, and asks Markie why. The man said that Jacks almost died dealing with those two. He said that he’s not risking Jacks for them that the blonde meant too much to him for that. Jackson is stuck by the explanation. He wasn’t expecting it. “Mark,” he began, his words catching in his throat, “I.” He began to reassure the red, to tell him that he’s fine, but those words refused to leave. Instead he smiled and roughly pulled Mark into a gentle hug. “You mean a lot to me too.” The two stood under the moonlight, just hanging on to each other. The pass few days finally caught up them. It’s like they suddenly realized that Jackson almost died.

They slowly pulled apart, hands still lingering on each other, reassuring one another that they’re still there, before their hands reluctantly fell away from each other. Mark then told him in hushed tones what he saw in the labs, what they did to V and Kookie. Jackson sucked in a deep breath in shock. He didn’t think that Jaebum would do something like that – that any dragoon would do something like that. Then again he’s never seen a dragoon separated from their dragon before. He kept those thoughts to himself, though and instead reminded Markie of the clones they saw down there. He said that the Imperials are planning something horrible and that the only way that they could stop it is by sticking with them. Mark sighs but don’t do much else because he knew that Jacks was right. Jacks also reminded the red of the two munchkins that they pickup up. He said that they don’t have much to worry about since they have a white mage on their team. Mark nodded. That was true. Jacks then playfully grabs Markie by the nape of his neck and place their foreheads together (it’s intimate but still brotherly) and tells him softly – sincerely – that he’s okay and that he’s alive. Mark nods with Jackson’s head still pressed against his, letting the words really set in. “But there was a short time where you weren’t,” the red replied. He breathed in deep. It was so easy to take Jackson in this close. He smelled of the soap he stole from the expensive Ferin inn and his calloused fingertips were pulling gently at the hairs on Mark’s nape. His breath was intermingling with Mark’s own and the blonde’s bangs were tangled messily in ruby locks. He was indeed alive and warm and _here._  Mark deflates then because at that moment nothing else really matters. They made it. They pull apart again and Jackson flashes his friend a boyish smile and things are normal again. They continue their walk and when Jackson lifted up the branch, Mark walked through it. They’re silent for a while before Jacks asked if Markie really thinks that they should go and tell him that it’s now or never. He tells him that it’s late, that everyone is sleeping and the trunk in empty. All that they had to do was hop in the car, take the 300,000 and just run. No turning back. Markie looks Jacks up and down. He could see how much it kills Jacks to even make the suggestion. He knows that Jacks is a hero. He knows that leaving the clones behind, not helping Yug and Youngjae, not joining the resistance in Reil would kill Jackson. Yet Jacks still asked. Mark soul swelled from implications, from all that Jacks was willing to give up for him. So Mark shakes his head and gave a devious smile similar to one he gave before he agreed to the behemoth quest, maybe even more similar to the crazed one he had when he was running from it. “You’re crazy, Jacks,” he said, “All of this is fucking crazy.” Jacks replies with a, “So are you. But we can leave, just say the word.” But Mark declines “We’re staying,” Mark says, “We have to.”

\----------

The next morning, the boys wake up. Jaebum noticed that Markson left, he wasn’t really expecting them to return. He would’ve if he was them. He and Mark shared a look as the red went to take a shower and Jaebum taken aback by the knowing look in his eyes. They conveyed that he will be watched and he wasn’t the only one that had a bad side. He hasn’t seen such devious eyes since Jinyoung. However he was snapped out of it as Youngjae asked him what he wanted to eat. He sighed and answered vaguely. He’s made such a big mess of things and he had no idea how to fix it. Jinyoung picks up on JB’s mood and after shooing the young ones to the market, he sat next to his partner. Jaebum opens his mouth but Jinyoung stopped him. “Just be glad they didn’t leave,” Jinyoung said. He then looked JB in the eye and said, “That _we_ didn’t leave.” Jaebum gave a defeated sigh. He supposed that he’s made the bed, thus he must sleep in it. He then returned Jinyoung look and asked, “Would’ve you?” He then turned to face Jinyoung. “If they would have asked you,” he asked, “Would’ve you?”  Jinyoung just shrugs. He really doesn’t know if he would have. Jaebum really deflates then, but Jinyoung just pats his shoulder. “It only means that you have a lot to be thankful for,” he said, “And a lot to make up for.” He then tells Jaebum that the understood that Ifrit was worth it, but that doesn’t excused his actions.

Jackson then comes in (from the front door, not the bathroom), wet and with a towel around his neck. He teases them and asked if he was interrupting something. Jaebum blushed but Jinyoung simply smirks and asks Jackson where he was coming from. Jackson gave a cheeky grin and says that the room was really crowded and only one bathroom so he decided to ask the girl downstairs if he could use another shower. Turns out she was ok with it. Jinyoung is confused by this because, yeah Jackson’s hot but really just open up another room and there are a couple of red marks around his collarbone. JB however knows that the girl recognized Jackson as the Dragoon without a Dragon and let him in. Since they’ve been stashed away for so long, she didn’t know that Jackson was a criminal. Jackson just smile at Jinyoung’s questioning and said “I don’t know. She’s a sweet girl, though.”

Markie finishes his shower and walks in to see Jackson already showered and hickeyed. He just shakes his head because he already knows how Jackson can be. He just figures he sweet talked his way into some girl’s room (He doesn’t know about Jackson’s days in the Imperial army). He comments about it and laughs at the shrug Jackson gives. Jinyoung scoffs because he has no freaking idea what’s going on and snatches a towel before entering the shower himself, mutter disgusting under his breath.

The shower ran for a while, before Markie enters their attached kitchen searching some type of privacy so he can get dressed. Jackson and JB are alone now. Jackson is nonchalantly rubbing the towel in his blonde locks. He’s shirtless and laid back with his hand holding him up. His actions are easy-going. His chest is opened – vulnerable and, just as Jinyoung predicted, there’s an ugly scar on along the length of his ribs. He’s letting Jaebum see it. They stare at each other for a while in silence. Jinyoung’s shower was running in the background, Mark’s belt jiggling as he gets dress. Then Jackson sits up dangerously fast, grabbing Jaebum by his collar and pulled him in close. He whispered, “If you ever lie to me again – put Mark in danger again, I will hurt you. Dragon or not.” He let Jaebum loose, settling back in the bed, towel drying his hair again. “You know who I am,” he continued lowly, “Then you must know who trained me. I _earned_ my title. Don’t make me show you why.”

 


End file.
